Overworked finance staff plan to switch jobs

More than half of workers in the UK’s financial sector say they want to change jobs, complaining they feel ground-down by excessive workloads, a lack of staff to support them, and rising levels of workplace stress.

The snapshot of the sector comes from a survey of 2,000 finance professionals by recruitment company Robert Half.

It found that 51% of workers were looking to move jobs, with 54% believing their organisation was under-staffed.

Nearly six out of 10 – 58% – complained that their work-loads had risen, and 40% reported increased stress levels.

Almost a quarter worked a 50-hour week, compared with the UK average of 37.5 hours. Yet 43% felt guilty they were not putting in enough hours, a rise of 16% on 2004’s survey.

Robert Half finance and accounting managing director, Steve Carter, said: “When more than half the workforce is job-hunting it is essential that companies look hard at what they offer their staff.”